The Most Violent Pastor In America

Yes, it's Ken Hutcherson. Remember: he's the guy who said that if a man opened a door for him, he'd rip his arm off! His unwavering stance against gay marriage is getting more vitriolic and he is someone to watch ...very, very carefully.

There Are Times When You Wanna Take A Poll...

...about statements like this. How many times have you heard of someone gay writing death threats? Threatening people's families? Worse than Islamic terrorists? 


I don't think so.

The Most Violent Rhetoric Is Upon Us: An Analysis Of Rev. Lou Sheldon's Latest Rant

His Word(les) says it all!

Though victory against such an evil onslaught will never come easy, it will also never come until the church awakes from her slumber and becomes the visible expression of Jesus Christ, raised from the dead in the power of the Holy Spirit, in this fallen world. The homosexual agenda will never be defeated by mere laws. This war will only be won by a church awakened and determined to stand for the righteousness of God. It is my hope and fervent prayer that, before it’s too late and the agenda of death and destruction has overcome us utterly, God’s people will rise. (emphasis mine)

Rev. Lou Sheldon - from A Gay (Domi)Nation in Charisma Magazine - July 2, 2011

There comes a time when even vitriol gets tedious, but that doesn't mean we should dismiss it. What we need to do is pay more attention to it so that our guard is not let down in the least.  


Rev. Lou Sheldon's rhetoric is a case in point: it can slip by as just another mindless, lying rant, but by analysis, the INTENSITY of the rant can be seen. For example: if the "homosexual agenda" will not be defeated by laws, how then, will it be defeated? By Prayer? Bullsh*t. He never states that. What about his context? Go ahead, you can view all of Rev. Lou Sheldon's diatribe HERE. With rhetoric so venomous, it falls just below Hitler's for the Jews, Sheldon manages to pack in deadly words and phrases which could only be described as the worst of  pulpit hate speech. 

Now, Sheldon has been around so long that he's practically hidden among the groups of Right-wing Christians now demanding the spotlight*, but he's still there. He justifies the point many people make when they say that the Christian Right is getting more violent (and hence, more deadly) in its rhetoric. 


Of course, he brings out the old talking points:


Hollywood is the BIG enabler
Homosexual activists want to FORCE acceptance and legitimization
The Homosexual agenda is sinister and part of it is that they want to control the worldview.
The book, After the Ball, is really an outline of their "game plan."
People are "trapped in the homosexual lifestyle"
Homosexuals are not born gay


Writing That Makes Moot 

Then Sheldon comes up with the classic line:

Let me be quick to say that I do not hate homosexuals.

Unfortunately, this line comes about two thirds of the way  into the piece, so it is hardly "quick" about anything. He talks about "evil" homosexuals, then says he doesn't hate them! It would be hysterical if it weren't so ubiquitous to the Christian Right argument and so utterly lame. After leveling a diatribe against gays, the possibility of Sheldon's NOT hating gays is rendered moot.

d just as horrific are the phrases he uses:

Homosexuals say they want the right to get married and live normal lives just like heterosexual couples, but this is a lie. On the surface, marriage seems like such a natural and innocent request. Who could argue with that? But that’s another part of the homosexuals’ campaign of deception. What they actually want is to force same-sex marriage on America as part of a much larger strategy for destroying the concept of marriage altogether.

There is nothing benign here, no reasonable disagreement, no respect for the opinions or moral reservations of those who have expressed concern for the dismantling of our culture. Rather, what’s being presented here is a plan for combat and the conquest of a nation.

Let's Get Literal


I went to Wordle.net and created a piece based on the words most often written in his little homily. In a very real sense, it came out classic (just click on the thumbprint wordle to read it all):


Of the 2789 words, 798 are common words (left out of the wordle) and the most prominent are the most pejorative:  Homosexual - homosexuality - agenda - marriage (same-sex) - lifestyle - evil - activists. Look for the word "love" in the wordle  - you won't find it - it was only mentioned once.


All this is "picky" you say? Of course it is, because only in the details of a bigot's speech can we see the true picture. And yes, it can be said of pro-gay speech as well, but the INTENSITY of Sheldon's rhetoric is really what causes one to pause and consider. 


What May Follow


It should be pointed out that the audiences for hate speech can be different: people predisposed to hate are more liable to "take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them."* And while there have been relatively few attacks (mostly vandalism) on churches by the homosexual community, they pale in comparison to the hate crimes committed against gays in the past decade: people have lost their lives. Read the entirety of Sheldon's missive and underline the most powerful words and phrases. Read it again. Then again. 


Now think of two words:
righteous assassination. 

* Bryan Fischer, Lou Engle et al.
**Admittedly a reversal of Shakespeare

"Christians Should Be Rewarded For Killing." Is Bryan Fischer Taking Christian Privilege Too Far?

When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.

 - Leonard Matlovich

While the culture war is heating up for Christmas, Bryan Fischer of American Family Association is branching out into the war in Afghanistan and dissing heroes who have saved lives. He had this to say about the awarding of the Medal of Honor to men who protected their comrades:

Christianity is not a religion of pacifism. Remember that John the Baptist did not tell the soldiers who came to him to lay down their arms, even when they asked him directly, “what shall we do?” (Luke 3:14).


War is certainly a terrible thing, and should only be waged for the highest and most just of causes. But if the cause is just, then there is great honor in achieving military success, success which should be celebrated and rewarded.

One of the few people who outwardly mocked a man for not paying a subscription fee to the fire department, (then witnessing his house burning down along with his beloved pets) and has Glenn Beck's aversion to the words "compassion" and "social justice," Bryan Fischer is still a force to be reckoned with since he broadcasts without censure from the network sponsored by the American Family Association. His last notable public appearance was at Tony Perkins' Values Voter Summit - that appearance becoming the imprimatur of sorts to his tasteless and violent rhetoric: he thinks all muslims should be deported because they all pose a threat to the US. He thinks all gays should be put in prison and has defended Uganda's infamous "kill-the-gays" bill. And now he thinks that good Christians should be rewarded for killing as many people as possible.

It goes without saying that Bryan Fischer should be considered "fringe" or "wingnut" because of his penchant for depicting a "Rambo Jesus" totally at odds with the conventional Jesus. But in recent years, the revision of the image of Jesus Christ has spilled onto more mainstream Christianity. In a time when terrorists are supposedly hiding behind every tree, people don't feel safe when they see their God dying ignominiously on a cross or holding a warm-and-fuzzy lamb. Bryan Fischer points out the valor of the knights of the Crusasdes lliberating Jerusalem from the "heathen." Muslims remember the Crusades differently. 

Fischer could also be accused of pushing the envelope regarding Christianity itself. What many people do not know is that the envelope had been on the table for a long time in the form of Christian privilege.

Christian privilege is the overarching system of advantages bestowed on Christians. ... At times overt and at other times subtle, Christian privilege is oppression by purpose and design, as well as by neglect, omission, erasure, and distortion.*

We're currently engaged in a comparatively mild annual skirmish brought on by Christian privilege: the "war on Christmas: the Christ Right has declared Christmas to be their exclusive holiday and to pay it proper respect we all MUST say "Merry Christmas" or be branded as atheists. Churches are also forcing government officials to display nativity scenes. 

But in his Right Wing militaristic stance, is Fischer going too far? Has he taken the image of Christianity and turned it on its side? To uneducated and naive people, he has done just that:  studies have shown that Christians are relutant to wage war (unless pressured by their Christian leaders). Unfortunately, they have no knowledge of history: Bryan Fischer's Crusades ushered in the concept of  a "just war," almost 1000 years ago, but before that Christians refrained from warfare and most of Rome's legions (after Constantine) were pagans. The early Christians (read: Peter and Paul and Mary Magdalene) were indeed pacifists.

There has also been a progression in Fischer's view that, if not stopped at the image of a "Rambo" Jesus, seems to be leading to even more deadly scenario: first, the protestation of the Ground Zero Mosque, then the recommendation of deportation of all Muslims, and the latest rant about "feminizing" the Medal of Honor. 

It all begs the question: what's next, concentration camps a la Manzanar?

*(Investigating Christian Privilege, by Warren Blumenfeld, 2006)